


遅すぎました | Too Late

by RevlisCharm



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alvarez Teikoku Hen | Alvarez Empire Arc (Fairy Tail), Bloodlust, Character Death, Darkness, Demons, Devil Slayer Magic, Fairy Tail Chapter 499, Gore, Graphic Description, Gray goes a little insane at the end, Little bit of Invel X Gray
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2018-12-01 11:49:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11485797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RevlisCharm/pseuds/RevlisCharm
Summary: SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 499! What if Juvia was unable to stab herself during the fight with Invel, and Gray ended up killing her instead? And Gray is taken over by his Devil Slayer magic? Gruvia, if you want it to be.





	1. Chapter

**Author's Note:**

> First off: Exit now if you're sensitive to gore.
> 
> Secondly: PLEASE DON'T BE TOO MEAN WITH THE CRITICISMS!
> 
> I was actually debating with myself on whether or not to post this, as its been sitting around in my iPad for a while. (Because sometimes I will write out little bits and pieces of random fic's that will pop into my head)
> 
> Still, I figured why the hell not, I haven't uploaded anything in a while so...yeah...
> 
> Well, please enjoy!
> 
> \- OH RIGHT! This takes place RIGHT before Juvia is about to stab herself. Like the exact moment before she does it. So, yeah.

Suddenly, Juvia felt a sharp pain in her stomach and gasped, the water she had begun to form instantly disappearing. The pain throbbed in her guts, it was deep and warm, but not in a nice way. It feels like someone had their hand in there and was squeezing her organs first gently and then as hard as they could. She shook, her gaze drifting downwards and then focusing on the large sword crafted from ice impaled through her body.

And holding it, was her beloved Gray.

His blue eyes were glazed over, and he was panting, completely unaware that he had just mortally wounded his comrade.

_No! Juvia was too late!_

But her vision was beginning to blur, and she had already lost so much blood. Juvia's legs shook beneath her as the dark red blood made its way out of her body. It oozed between the space between her fingers as she attempted to cover her wound with a shaky hand. Her vision became blurrier, and all she could see was the scarlet blood that once flowed in her veins. Her mouth opened and closed, trying to speak but nothing would come. Everything felt so heavy...

_Stay focused! If Juvia dies now, Gray-sama will surely blame himself for Juvia's death!_

The water mage's pale, trembling hand touched the blood-soaked blade sticking out from her stomach, the liquid warm and sticky. Slowly, she brought her hand up to Gray's face, staring into his eyes. Her palm cupped his cheek, and she smiled at him.

"Ju-Juvia...is sorry th-that she was too late, Gray-sama..."

She couldn't feel her fingers or toes anymore. Everything was going numb as she barely supported herself on shaking legs.

"Please...d-do not blame yourself for..for Juvia's..."

As her vision faded, and her body collapsed, all she could hope for was that her beloved Gray wouldn't be too sad over her death.

_Goodbye, Gray-sama...Juvia loves you..._

* * *

Gray screamed.

Juvia's cold, unmoving form lay in his arms, her blood dripping out onto his skin and covering it in dark red liquid. The violent red stained his shaking hands, and the color burned in his mind along with what he had just done. He could feel a sickness crawling within him as he tried to wipe the stains off in a panicked frenzy. Yet, the stains stayed etched into his mind - an eternal reminder of the act he had just committed.

The tears then burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down his face. He felt the muscles of his chin tremble like a small child, staring at his friend's corpse in horror and disbelief. There was a static in his head once more, the side effect of this constant fear, constant stress he was experiencing. He heard his own sounds, like a distressed child, raw from the inside.

"No- Juvia, no, you can't be dead...please, just open your eyes, damn it!"

His voice tumbled from his mouth in desperate tones. Gray hugged the water mage in his arms, cradling her as he continued to sob brokenly. Oh god, he could feel her blood on him...her wound, which _he_ had made... Gray then caught sight of the full extent of the damage done and almost gagged.

Where there had once been smooth skin was now torn muscle and blood, as raw as any carcass at the butchers. The blue haired girl lay still, her skin so pale as to make the oozing blood a deeper shade of red. Her once wavy, azure blue hair was now matted with blood. And her eyes...in life, her eyes were every shade the night sky possessed; but in death they are black. Her pupils have exploded to fill so much of her eye. Gray wanted her to blink, to sit up and laugh at him for falling for this joke. She wouldn't. Her eyes were so still. She was always moving with every part of her being, with her limbs, her facial expressions, her never ending fidgeting no matter what. Now she lie still, an unmoving corpse in his arms. Gray opened his mouth and let out another piercing scream, though his throat was already raw and sore.

Invel smiled at the scene before him. It was just as he calculated, Gray had come out victorious. Now, all that was needed was a final push, and then the darkness lying dormant within the young devil slayer would awaken. He would become the warrior to defeat E.N.D., and all that stood in the way of the Emperor would be annihilated! Not to mention, if his predictions were correct, the devil slayer could prove to be a formidable comrade.

The ice mage walked forward briskly, a victorious smirk set upon his face. He stopped before the raven haired teen, who was still kneeling on the ground, clinging onto Juvia's body like a lifeline. Gray gave no inclination that he had even realized the Spriggan's presence, too preoccupied with the now dead body of his friend in his arms. Then, as if from a distance, Gray heard someone speak.

"It's all your fault. You killed her, Gray. She trusted you, and you brought about her demise. It's _your fault_ she died."

That was all he needed. His remaining thread of strength frayed before breaking completely, sending him plummeting over the edge and into the darkness. Hysterical sobs shook his frame, threatening to tear him apart from the inside. He then let out a wailing noise, his arms releasing Juvia's body, which slumped to the ground. Gray's fingers clutched his head, and he sobbed, the black markings staining his skin beginning to spread. The corners of Invel's mouth twitched as his smile widened, seeing the glorious result he had foretold finally unfolding before him.

"Good boy..."

Invel whispered, leaning down and gently touching Gray's back. Gray did nothing, only continued to cry, letting the last gift his father had given him consume him. It was comforting to the ice make mage, in a way. And then there was the darkness. Darkness suffocating his body like a damp, musty, thick blanket, clinging to every inch of his pale skin.

Invel's pale fingers traced over the black stained skin on Gray's back, inwardly admiring the Fairy's well-toned form.

The markings had spread to cover most of Gray's body now, reaching all the way to his left eye. Not only that, but others of Gray's features had begun to change into a more demonic aspect as well. His teeth had become sharper, his pupils turning to black slits, and the once midnight blue color of Gray's eyes had changed to a glowing purple.

"I'm s-sorry...I'm so sorry, Juvia…I...I killed you..."

Gray was talking to himself, his body rocking back and forth as Invel dared to take another step closer. The ice wizard sat down, smirking as his hands moved to Gray's shoulder and traveled down his arms. They eventually wrapped around the devil slayer's chest, and Invel hummed in approval of the chill emanating from Gray's flesh. He leaned forwards slightly, his mouth moving to Gray's ear.

"You...you are going to be the one to kill END. Then, nothing will stand in the way of His Majesty's path..."

Invel sighed, letting his head drop to Gray's shoulder, who had suddenly gone silent. The sinister black markings had spread all the way over Gray's left shoulder now.

"You're going to be the ultimate warrior to vanquish that demon. Your heart is almost completely dyed black with darkness, and no one is going to be able to save you from becoming a monster...and killing everyone who opposes Lord Zeref, Gray..."

Invel smirked, a thought forming in his head.

"A lot of your former allies of Fairy Tail will try and stop you, of course. Do you wish to know why?"

Everything was numb. All Gray could focus on was listening to this man. Invel, he vaguely recalled...and then there was the foreign urge to _kill_. Images flashed through his head; bodies torn to ribbons, masses of decomposing corpses carelessly piled atop each other, milky white eyes staring blankly forward–

Gray panted a bit, the thought of mass destruction and gore somewhat...arousing to him, in a way…

"Because E.N.D. stands for

Etherious

Natsu

Dragneel."

The ice mage flinched, his eyes widening a bit. Na..tsu...? The name sounded...familiar. A brief picture of a teen with pink hair and a goofy smile appeared in his mind before disappearing.

Ah, yes. Someone that he had know from when he was _human_...and he now remembered the promise he had made to his father...

**To kill E.N.D.**

Nothing was going to deter him from his goal. He was going to strike down all in his path...

"Gray."

The devil slayer blinked, his now luminous, amethyst colored eyes glancing over to the silver haired mage.

"Time to go."

"..I'm going to...kill END..."

Gray's voice was low and husky, but Invel managed to hear him. The Spriggan grinned, the beauty of all this overwhelming for him. "Soon. But I'm afraid we must wait until the Emperor gives his permission."

Gray frowned at this, before trying to stand up, his body still numb. He finally stood up and blinked, the world spinning around him.

"But you can kill other people while we wait. May I suggest– your old friends?"

Gray grinned, baring his newly sharpened teeth in a creepy smile.

"Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!!

Gray laughed, watching yet another opponent fall before him. A twisted grin adorned his features, his eyes wild and filled with insanity. As blood sprayed onto his face, he inhaled the scent. He couldn't believe he hadn't done this sooner, it felt so _good!_

Still, he had a mission to accomplish, but he set that off to the side as he struck down yet another person. Invel had left him to his own devices, but told him that if he saw a certain pink haired dragonslayer to bring him to Zeref. And with that, the Winter General had left, and Gray's killing spree began.

Of course, when he entered into battle, he was unrecognizable to his former comrades.

The devil slayer markings covered both the left and right side of his body, mirroring each other. Two strips of the markings edged upwards on either side of his face. He had also made sure to completely obscure his guild mark, making a mental note to erase it later. His hands now sported black claws, sharpened and ready to kill. His hair was in its usual style, with two long, ebony horns emerging from his head. His teeth were sharpened into canines and constantly formed an insane smile. And his once navy blue eyes were now a chilling, glowing purple with black slit pupils. He was deemed the enemy, due to the fact that he killed everything he laid eyes on.

Gray was snapped out of his thoughts when a female mage charged at him with a battle cry, determined to defeat the demon. He smirked, quickly using his maker magic to form a simple knife. His ice was now a glassy black, much to his liking. The woman made a lunge at him with a spear, which he quickly dodged, before thrusting his weapon forwards.

The knife met flesh, soft and pudgy, and made a satisfying squish as the tip of the blade sank deep enough to make his victim scream. He twisted the blade in his hands, all the while sinking it deeper and deeper. Her skin was tearing to shreds as the knife rotated, the sound of her muscles and nerves being gouged growing louder.

Then, without warning, Gray jerked it all the way into her back, until the ice blade had disappeared inside her and the handle was pushing against her broken skin. Her cry was a brilliant sound, guttural chokes mixed with an agonized roar. He smirked, and pulled the blade out of his now deathly white victim. She sank to her knees, continuing to scream, convulsing and trembling like a rabid animal and thick blood flowing freely from the gaping hole in her back. The cascade of the girl's life source gushed out in all directions, scarlet liquid squirting up all over him. He turned away as her plead for mercy became quieter, the sweet tang of blood tingling in his nostrils.

_Beautiful._

An uncharacteristic giggling sound came from his mouth, his face flushed as a rush of energy flowed throughout his being. Gray looked down at his blood coated hands and curled his fingers inward. Gods, he felt so fucking _powerful_! It was intoxicating!

He licked his lips with a pointed tongue, tasting blood. He smiled, his amethyst eyes hungrily searching for his next victim. Then, he spun around, the knife disappearing to replace it with a sword. A male mage stood behind him, attempting to catch him off guard. In one slash from his sword his opponent's abdomen opened up, his intestines spewing onto the ground in pinkish-brown coils. As Gray looked at the dying man before him, the air took the aroma of a butcher shop.

His mouth formed a malicious smile as he glanced around. "Who's next?" He hissed in a challenge, his eyes full of anticipation for his next kill. As if on cue, more opponents came forward, charging at the demon. Gray chuckled, thinking about how the foolish humans before him were rushing right to their deaths. With a sadistic expression, he ran forwards, his claws ready to slice open anyone who dared to oppose him.

* * *

Brandish tensed, still holding the three Fairy Tail members in her hands. Tall as she was, she could clearly see something was happening on the battlefield. A force unlike any she'd seen before was fighting, but she was unable to make out who it was exactly. It wasn't the likes of any of the 12 from what she could tell, and she was certain that Fairy Tail wouldn't be slaughtering people so mercilessly. They seemed too 'righteous' to do something like that.

The Spriggan frowned, and set Natsu, Lucy, and Happy onto the ground, shrinking back to normal size.

"Oi! What's the big idea, anyways?!" Natsu exclaimed angrily to her, and she stared at him, emotionless as usual.

"I was planning to speak to you, and inform you that I would be overlooking your lives since you have been kind to me. However, I just saw something unusual occurring on the battlefield. A new player has entered the fight it seems, and it looks like a formidable one," Brandish explained to them, and Natsu's anger faded.

"A new player?"

Lucy said, her lips tugging downwards. Natsu punched his fist into his other hand with a smacking sound. "Well, it sounds like something we should check out. Let's go, Luce," he spoke with his usual determination, and Lucy nodded.

"I advise you to be careful, even though there is no chance that you can win this battle," Brandish stated, and Natsu looked at her with his fierce olive eyes. "We're Fairy Tail. Never underestimate us, because no matter the odds, we're gonna keep going. That's what we do."

Brandish sighed as the trio made off in the direction of the battlefield. "Good luck with that..."

The three ran quickly, heading towards the sounds of battle. As they did so, Lucy mulled over who this 'new player' Brandish talked about could be.

_Maybe it's backup? We could really use the help right now..._

The blonde chewed her lip, her chestnut eyes glinting with worry.

_Or...what if it's someone on the other side...that would definitely spell trouble for us._

She shook her head, trying to clear out the fretful thoughts from her mind. She needed to have faith in her friends. They were Fairy Tail, after all, and like hell they would go down without a fight. Her mind wandered a bit more as they ran.

_I wonder what happened with Gray and Juvia..._

But before they knew it, they had arrived at the scene of fighting, and Lucy's attention was brought back to the task at hand.

_They'll be fine...I hope._

Upon reaching the battlefield, they were immediately greeted with the sight of friend against foe, each side fighting unrestrained. Alvarez soldiers clashed with our allies, while the latter pushed back with as much force as they could muster. Immediately, Natsu made a move to join the battle, but stopped short upon sensing a huge surge of magical power close by. He frowned, sniffing the air. Yes, there was definitely something big in that direction. But what?

Happy flew up beside his friend's head, a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong, Natsu? You aren't getting scared of a fight, are you?"

Natsu snorted, straightening up to show confidence. "Oh please! I could take these jokers down one handed! It's just..."

He trailed off, a flicker of unreadable emotion in his eyes.

"I can sense a really strong magical power nearby...we should probably go check it out. It might be what that Brandish chick was talking about."

Lucy nodded, feeling it as well. "It could be. Let's go, we can help out everyone else after!"

"Aye sir!" Happy said enthusiastically.

And so, they fought their way in the direction of the magical surge of power they felt. However, the closer they got to the source, the colder the air got. It wasn't a pleasant coldness. It was the kind that made you walk all the faster and brace your head against the wind. No matter how warm the blood in your veins, your face got frozen just the same. Lucy shivered, the hair on her skin rising in response to the temperature.

"H-Hey, does anyone else notice how cold it's g-gotten?"

The celestial mage asked, her teeth chattering slightly. Happy shrugged.

"That's what you get for wearing a miniskirt, Lucy. But you're right, it is pretty chilly now that you mention it..."

Natsu, who had just finished beating an enemy into the ground, looked over at the pair.

"I dunno what you're talking about, Luce. I don't feel a thing."

Lucy sighed at the dragon slayer's ignorance. "That's because you're a fire user, Natsu. You have better resistance to the cold than us..."

"Maybe we're getting closer to the mountains?" Happy suggested.

"Maybe. Or it could be that ice guy that froze us before..."

Natsu grinned at Lucy's words, his body catching on fire. "If it's that icy bastard, I'm gonna burn his ass into the ground!"

"What if it's Gray?" Happy suddenly said, a hopeful look in his eyes.

"Only one way to find out, buddy!"

With that, Natsu took off in the direction they had been going in, not waiting for a response from the two.

"NATSU, YOU IDIOT! WAIT FOR US!" Lucy yelled, running after her reckless teammate with Happy flying by her side. The closer they got to the magical power, the colder it kept getting. Finally, even though it had only been five minutes chasing after Natsu, Lucy was fed up with the cold.

"That's it, I need a change of clothes!"

She grabbed one of her keys, preparing to summon a spirit.

"Open, Gate of the Lion Constellation: Loke!"

Immediately, there was a flash of golden light and Lucy found herself swept into the arms of the playboy spirit.

"You called, Princess?" Loke asked, his voice flirtatious as ever.

" _Kyaaa!_ Loke, put me down!"

"As you wish."

He set her on the ground, the Fairy Tail mage huffing in embarrassment before regaining her composure.

"Star Dress: Leo Form!"

There was another flash of light, this time around Lucy's body, and seconds later the mage was wearing different clothes. She shivered again, her new clothes only a small improvement from her previous ones. Loke frowned, seeing that she was clearly cold.

Lucy felt something soft wrap around her shoulders, and turned her head to see that Loke had taken off his jacket and draped it around her. She gave him a small smile of gratitude.

"Thanks, Loke..."

"Well, I'd hate to see you catch a cold, Princess," he replied with a wink.

"Lucy!"

The stellar mage looked and saw that Natsu was running towards her. She sighed, relived that her comrade hadn't gone off without her.

"Where were you? I thought you were right behind me!" Natsu said once he had stopped in front of her. Loke started to fight off the enemies that were trying to attack them as Lucy talked with Natsu.

"You ran off without us, you can't just expect us to be as fast as you! Anyways, did you find what was giving off that power?"

Natsu shook his head. "No, I didn't get close enough because I turned and didn't see you anywhere."

"Natsu loooooooves Lucy!" Happy snickered from above, and Lucy immediately growled, swinging her fists at the exceed.

"SHUT IT, CAT!"

"Quit foolin' around and let's go, Luce," Natsu said, ignoring Happy's statement. Lucy sighed, and they continued through the battlefield. They couldn't tell when, but at some point in their journey, it had started to snow. Intricate patterns of ice floated weightlessly downward from the pure white sky above, each flake swirling and dancing, as an icy wind carried it toward the group of intrepid travelers.

Cold licked at Lucy's face and crept under her clothes, spreading across her skin like the lacy tide on a frigid winter beach. With purple lips tinged with blue and gently chattering teeth, she wrapped the thin coat around her tighter. Even Natsu seemed to be feeling the chill, his body shivering slightly. Happy had abandoned flying at this point and made himself comfortable between Lucy's breasts.

They could still hear the faint sounds of fighting in the snowy storm, yet their opponents were nowhere to be found. However, that was not of much concern to them at the moment, as the magical power from before was very close now. Being this close, they could definitely tell that there was something...off about it. It didn't feel like normal magic power; something was different about it that you just couldn't place your finger on. Still, that was pushed aside as they continued through the snowfall, getting closer and closer to the source, until finally...

The snow stopped.

It was abrupt; one second they were enthralled in a winter wonderland, the next, there was no trace of the blizzard of before. With the exception being the small piles of melted ice and snow on the ground. However, none of this was relevant to the trio, as they were too caught up watching in horror the sight before them.

Lucy had never been good with gore, not even her own cuts and scrapes. Yet here was an untold number of people, all with life threatening injuries, most already dead. Every face was marked with red splatter and limbs lay at unnatural angles in the soft light. Triage with such numbers...better to save the ones with the best chance of survival first, the ones who could still fight the slowing of their own hearts. Except with the mangled state of them, it was impossible to tell friend from foe.

"Wh-wha..." Lucy choked out, her voice wavering at the scene.

"Who could've done something like this..." Natsu hissed, his fists clenched tightly. Heat radiated off of him, a warning to stay away. "Who...!"

Suddenly, a high, cold cackle pierced the air, and they looked to see who was laughing. Lucy took a sharp intake of breath at the sight.

There was a man –if you could even call him that– who bore a gleeful smile on his face as he literally cut down person by person with a sword. From the distance between them, it wasn't clear as to what the sword itself was made from. It was a glossy black, almost watery or washed out, and seemed to gleam in the dull light. But what caught their attention was the fact that he had completely black skin covering his body. It reached over his flesh like needy, grasping fingers, sinister in appearance. And when a glimpse of the murder's eyes was seen, Lucy felt a shudder run through her. His eyes were piercing purple, simple as that.

In fact, this person didn't even seem to be _human._

He had horns that were a solid black, twisting slightly from his mass of dark hair. His hands were claws, fingers forged into talons dripping with blood. This...monster...let out another insane laugh as his sword stabbed through a young man's neck, cutting through clean. The head was severed from the body and fell to the earth, the body going limp and following suit.

Lucy heard a low growling from next to her and glanced over to see her partner ready to charge headfirst at the man. Immediately, fear surged up inside the blonde; from what she had seen so far this person was the source of that huge magical power they felt, and that meant he was dangerous.

"Natsu! Wa-"

Her warning went unheard as the dragon slayer sprinted forwards with a roar, his hands covered in fire. Natsu swung at the person, his flaming fist coming into contact with him and sending him to the ground. Lucy ran forwards, cursing her hotheaded teammate inwardly as she got out her whip.

Whoever the person was, they were recovering from Natsu's attack quickly. In fact, he didn't seem affected at all. He stood up, glaring at Natsu with those demonic eyes of his.

"I'll kill you...kill you..."

The man's voice came out low and garbled, but his words were clear. He let out a heart stopping roar and lunged at Natsu, swiping at him with his deadly claws. Natsu managed to dodge his attacks – barely. However, the fire wizard didn't manage to be swift enough for one of the swings, and was scratched on his arm. It left a claw mark, which started to ooze blood.

Lucy acted upon seeing her comrade injured, lashing her whip around the man's arm and halting him from attacking further. He snarled, glaring at Lucy with bitter vehemence.

"Natsu! Are you alright?!"

The blonde called to her friend, who was clutching his wound. He looked up at her and flashed a wry grin.

"This is nothing, I've taken way worse. Just leave this bastard to me!"

Lucy smiled at Natsu's usual confident attitude, feeling somewhat reassured.

"Alright!"

With that, she released her opponent back to Natsu, who took the chance to attack him.

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" He shouted.

To their surprise, the mystery person caught Natsu's punch in his hand, glaring at the dragon slayer with pure loathing.

"I hate you...I've always fucking hated you..."

The man growled, and that caught Lucy off guard.

_What...? Always? What does he mean by that?_

Natsu frowned, noticing the odd choice of words as well. He gritted his teeth, and put more force behind his arm, yet his opponent stood firm.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, huh?! Just who the fuck are you!?"

There was silence, before what burst from his lips was a chortle. This shocked the Fairies. Whoever this person was, he clearly thought their predicament was _amusing._

Natsu let out a deep, threatening growl, his gaze burning with frustration as he looked over the person. In the dim lighting, a gleam of silver flashed across Natsu's vision, drawing his attention. He glanced down to the source, his eyes immediately widening. He stared at the man with an unblinking gaze, his face frozen in an expression of horror and disbelief.

Lucy frowned, not understanding why Natsu seemed to suddenly be paralyzed. She looked at his eyes, following his gaze to the spot on the man's neck. There was a silver necklace there, a chain going around his throat and hanging loosely against his bare, blackened chest. And at the end of the chain...

A gasp slipped from her mouth, her body freezing in place.

_No...it wasn't possible...it just wasn't possible...there was no way..._

Lucy tried to remember how to breathe as she stood there in shock. She was unable to speak, totally stunned as a name bounced around inside her skull.

_There's no way..._

Her brain was desperately scrambling to make sense of it all, and she was praying, hoping that this just wasn't true. But there was no mistaking it...

_Impossible...it was utterly impossible...and yet..._

Hanging at the end of the chain was a silver cross with the likeness of a sword. And there was only one person that they knew who wore one identical to this in every way; and they had never seem him without it on.

"G...Gray...?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and give suggestions!


End file.
